Auxiliary grate for stage icing



Oct. 19, 1937.

Fly. 1.

' H. GIDDINGS AUXILIARY GRATE'FOR STAGE ICING Filed Oct. 17, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Mmm farm Mfv ATTORNEY.

Oct. 19, 1937. H. GIDDINGS AUXILIARY GRATE FOR STAGE ICING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1934 1/ 22; (I) 1/ J INVENTOR.

Z 1 MM Uovtf 730021 ATTORNEY.

AUXILIARY GRATE FOR STAGE ICING Filed Oct. 17, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlclsz 2,096,100 AUXILIARY GRATE FOR STAGE ICING Horace Giddings, San Francisco, Calif.

Application October 17, 1934, Serial No. 748,600

17 Claims.

The present invention relates to a movable or swinging auxiliary grate for permitting the partial icing of a refrigerator car.

In the use of refrigerator cars, it is frequently desirable or expedient to only partially fill the ice compartments with ice, instead of completely filling them according to the more usual practice. This partial icing is known in the art as stage icing. When such partial or stage icing is resorted to, it is considered more eflicient, for reasons which need not be herein described, to fill the upper portion of the ice compartment rather than the lower portion, and, in order to accomplish this, some kind of a temporary removable grate is installed in the ice compartment, at such a distance above the regular or bottom grate as will support the desired quantity of ice in the upper portion of the ice compartment.

The objects of the present invention are to provide an auxiliary grate, built into the ice compartment, which'can be quickly moved into position to support a partial load of ice for stage icing, and which, when not so positioned and used, can be folded into the inner walls of the ice compartment in such a manner as to not interfere either with the full icing of said compartment or with the free circulation of air around and through the walls of said compartment. By providing the auxiliary grate as a built-infeature of the ice 3O compartment, it is always instantly available for use, without requiring additional parts or materials; and by folding it into the walls of the ice compartment when not in use, it does not interfere in any way with the full or normal icing of the car. Furthermore, the particularconstruction herein described permits the auxiliary grate to be moved to either operative or inoperative positions with the least possible expenditure of labor and time.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, which should be read with the understanding that the form, construction and arrangement of the various parts may be changed within the limits of the claims hereto appended without departing from the spiritof the invention as defined therein.

Reference will be made to the accompanying 5o drawings in which I Fig. 1 is a transverse'section through the ice compartment of a; refrigerator car, showingmy auxiliary grate in inoperative orfolded position.

Fig; 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2.-2 of Fig. .1. f1

Fig. 3 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 1 showing the grate in operative position.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig.

Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail, enlarged, of thegrate in operative position. 1 0

In the drawings, the reference numerals 8 and 9 designate respectively the walls of the sides and ends of a refrigerator car, the detailed construction thereof as to framing, sheathing, insulation, etc., being omitted. l0 is the bulkhead separat- 5 ing the ice compartment from the lading compartment of the car. I l is the lining or inner wall of the ice compartment, which may be formed in any customary way, and is herein shown, by way of example, as a screen. 52 is theusual or perg manent grate in the lower portion ofthe'ice corn-J partment upon which the ice rests in'full or normal icing. So much is the usual construction of arefrigerator car. a

The present invention contemplates an auxilg5 iary grate preferably formed of a plurality of sections as, for example, three sections numbered l3 and iii, the two sections l3 being at the sides of the icecompartment, and the section 13' being 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of 5 in the middle betw een them. When raised to op- 39 I erative position, the sections l3 and I3 form a 7 continuous horizontal grate across the entire area of the ice compartment at a suitable level between its top and bottom, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The gratesections I3 and l 3 are mountedto 36 swing downwardly into inoperative position" as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. The end sections l3 swing downwardly against the side walls 8 of the car, and the center section l3 swingsa'ga'in'st the end wall 9. The ice compartment lining His out away, as shown at land l6 where the grate sections swing down, to allow the latter to hang vertically against the walls of the car, so thattheir inner surfaces are flush with the lining [Land form a-continuation thereof. 4.

-The grate sections l3 and [3 are preferably formed of sheet metal stamped with troughs" or corrugations 15 which provide both strength and free drainage,the troughs having holes.l5" in their sides. "The troughs I5 are so arranged as spaces between said inner and outer walls, one of said sections swinging into the space of an end wall and another section swinging intoithe.

clear each other to enable the grate to be swung downwardly to inoperative position.

5. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment, an ice supporting grate within said compartment; a horizontally shiftable pivotal mounting for said grate comprising a pivot pin and a member provided with a substantially horizontal slot in which said pin rides, said slot having a notch in its lower side near one end engageable by said pin; and a fixed bracket for supporting the free edge of the grate opposite said pivotal mounting when said grate is in horizontal operative position, the shiftable pivot permitting the grate to be moved horizontally to enable its free edge to clear said bracket whereby said grate may be swung downwardly to its inoperative position, and the engagement of said pin with said notch impeding horizontal movement of said grate when in said inoperative position.

6. In a refrigerator car, an ice compartment having inner and outer walls separated by a space for the circulation of air, a portion of the inner wall being cut away to form an aperture; an icesupporting grate pivotally mounted to swing from horizontal operative position to vertical inoperative position within said aperture with its face substantially flush with said inner wall to form a continuation thereof; a pivot pin for said grate, said grate being formed of sheet metal with marginal stiffening flanges along twoopposite edges,

one of said flanges embracing said pivot pin, and i said grate being further formed with spaced parallel stifiening and draining corrugations extending at right angles to said flanges, said corrugations projecting into said air space when the grate is in vertical position and forming vertical channels between them to permit free circulation of air through said space, and said marginal stiffening flanges being of materially less depth than said corrugations, whereby said intervening vertical channels are not obstructed.

7. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment provided with inner and outer walls, respectively located in spaced vertical planes, an ice-supporting grate in the bottom portion of said compartment, and a second ice-supporting grate positioned above said bottom grate, said second grate being pivotally mounted to swing into inoperative position within the space defined by said spaced vertical planes.

8. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment, a grate Within said compartment pivotally mounted to swing to and from a substantially horizontal ice-supporting position, said grate comprising a plurality of complementary sections the axes of the pivots of adjacent sections being perpendicular to each other.

9. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment provided with spaced inner and outer walls forming its ends and sides, an ice-supporting grate within said compartment, said grate comprising a plurality of sections pivotally mounted to swing into inoperative positions within the space of a side wall of said compartment.

10. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment provided with substantially vertical walls, lining members spaced from said walls to provide air flues therebetween, a portion of one of said walls being unlined, an ice supporting grate within said compartment, said grate being movable from its ice supporting position to a substantially vertical inoperative position spaced from the unlined wall portion, and said grate forming a continuation of said lining when in said inoperative position.

11. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment comprising inner and outer walls separated by an air space to provide an air circulating flue, said inner wall having an aperture therein, an ice supporting means in the bottom portion of the compartment, a member pivotally mounted to swing to a horizontal position to form an ice supporting means for stage icing and to swing downwardly to a vertical position Within said aperture and substantially within the plane of the inner wall and forming a continuation thereof so that the compartment can be used for full icing.

12. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the member is prcvided'with stiffeners extending within said space and in a substantially vertical direction, when the member is in vertical position, to divide the flue into channels for air circulation between the stiffeners.

13. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the member is provided with stiffeners bearing against the outer wall, when the member is in vertical position, to restrict the outwardly swinging movement of the member.

14. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the member is pivotally mounted upon the outer wall independently of the inner wall.

15. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the member is provided with holes for drainage when the member is in horizontal position and for movement of air into said space when the member is in vertical position.

16. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the member is made of a metallic plate formed with substantially parallel corrugations which extend within said space in a substantially vertical direction, when the member is in vertical position, to divide the flue into channels for air circulation between the corrugations, said corrugations having holes therein for drainage, when the member is in horizontal position, and for movement of air into said air space when the member is in vertical position.

1'7. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein the pivotal means supports the member independently of the inner wall.

HORACE GIDDINGS. 

